Getting my head around social

Why am I here?

Heads up

Where is my audience located?

Who really needs to know?

Why am I here?

What are the ethics, norms, etiquette?

How do I make this work?

Keep in mind

Social Media is an accelerator, an amplifier.

• Everything on the internet is social. E-mail, messaging, forums, chat rooms, private networks included.
• Everyone is not socially literate or is online 24/7. Someone responding to my two year old birthday greeting may have just seen it.
• Everything on the internet is stored, somewhere, even when I delete or edit it.
• Are all my friends on Facebook my “friends”?
• In Hyde Park, only my voice is heard. On the internet anyone can find me. Someone determined will.
• I can’t choose my relatives. I can choose my friends. Online and offline. Very carefully.
• I am dependent on all those I interact with. Thinking about Edward Snowden being forced to pole dance on the internet.
• I am on social media even though I do not have any social media account. See how Sir John Sawers’ cover was blown.
• Is there anything online that can be used against me? Someone will.
• Jerk in the real world? I will be unmasked as a jerk online as well.

How to

Profiles

• Is this my real profile? An avatar?
• Am I using my own picture for my profile?
• Am I the person represented by the eagle, baby, bear, star and slogan?
• Does my profile image need a magnifying glass to identify whether it’s me?
• Am I using my best head shot for my thumbnails?
• Do I use group pics or full length photographs for thumbnails?
• +990 88 123 4567. Who am I?
• Do I use my real name on WhatsApp?
• As part of the joint MrLoveyNMrsDovey Facebook account, who’s birthday do I register? Mine or Mrs Dovey’s? Is this post mine or is it Mrs Dovey’s?
• R u over 30? plz. Do I use English?
• Is my new born at least 13 years old on his Facebook profile? Do I want to create a Facebook Page for our baby?

Posts

• What have my connections opted in for? Tacitly or explicitly?
• Do I LOL, ROFL or read out loud my children’s posts to them?

Would I be happy if my mother, sister, wife or niece read my last post?

• How would my superior or colleague react to this post?
• Am I fully aware of the consequences of cultural insensitivity and political correctness? Is it a battle that I am called to fight in this post?

“Oops! Sorry, I made a mistake.” Do I take down or delete the post? Do I apologize and move on?

• When in doubt. Do I?
• Junk posts. Spam messages. How do I feel? How will someone else feel when I spam them or flood them with junk?
• Am I promoting my business on my personal profiles? On this platform have my connections opted in to see my product promotions? Can I direct them to a business page where they have opted in to be solicited for business?
• Is my rant or excitement useful to the group or person that I am sending it to?

Beyond social

“We are who we pretend to be, so we must be careful who we pretend to be,”
Kurt Vonnegut. Quote superimposed on image from “Eyes Wide Shut”. This article was orginally published on Blogger. Background image from Bansky. Also published on Steemit.

“Take one more shot, please. We need to update our Facebook picture.”

• Is my offline activity primarily determined by how I want to project myself online?
• Am I the person I want to be? My loved ones want me to be? God wants me to be?
• Do I look into the mirror? Do I ask other people?
• Is my social media presence taking precedence over the real world? Over flesh and blood people?

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